All That You Should Expect – GCGCNY Cell Plans

This plan is designed to have a Nurturer guide the study, feel free to have other cell members support any of the sections as part of nurturing. All instructions are identified for Nurturer. A separate document (cell content) is meant to be shared.

This cell plan is based on the sermon shared on Sunday, February 23rd, 2025 from Rev Dr. Tom Lambshead

Prepare Ahead

Read Cell Vision Statement
Meditate on 2 Corinthians 9
Pray and discern next steps for your cell for outreach / prayer partners / grad transition
Link to sharable version for members: Cell Content

Opening

Nurturer: If there are new members today joining for the first time ask everyone to share something about themselves.

Note: Has it been a while since your cell has reviewed the cell vision statement? Review it together at: Cell Based Ministry

Icebreaker: What is the most extravagant experience you’ve had?

Worship

In addition to the regular musical/prayer/reading worship section, we will be incorporating a bible reading section

Ask: How was your bible reading in the last 2 weeks, share something from your readings with the group!

Note: If sharing is scarce and always the same people, can start a rotation schedule

Go into musical worship if someone is scheduled. Continue to ask if members of the cell are willing to lead this portion in the future.

Please pray for the group to begin the study.

Nurture: For those who would like to allot this portion of the night to something else feel free to use the prayer exercise:

Prayer Exercise
Lectio divina

Word

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]

Discussion

Nurturer:

Review the sermon with the group and ask if there’s anything that stood out, then go through the discussion questions.
Review and decide which questions to ask for your cell, the goal is to facilitate conversation, not a Q&A
General guide to good facilitation is to speak less than cell members
- Invite others to join in and response if they have shared similar experiences or thoughts
Try to avoid from going around in a circle, as the nurturer, ask followup questions and avoid giving advice.
This section doesn’t have to have everyone share their personal thoughts but try to get everyone in the conversation.
In order to allow for deeper discussion, consider breaking the group up into smaller groups to allow more space for sharing.

Sermon/Teaching Summary

God’s extravagance is overwhelming, abounding, outstanding
- Life’s precious moments and generosities are not financial but from the hand of God. These instances can look like:
  - A comforting presence in a moment of need.
  - Events going smoothly and in your favor.
  - Your worries and burdens being lifted.
- The extravagance of God is all around us, and most of the time, it’s not financial.
- Additional: Paul aims to broaden understanding and acts of generosity and to live in generosity towards one another.
God’s response to our generosity is extravagance
- Not to be mistaken with the “Prosperity Gospel”, the idea that prosperity is a reflection of your righteousness.
- In our arrogance, we think that God’s extravagance means only the things that we think are good.
  - God can bring Good out of bad (Romans 8:28).
    - God’s vision for your life is our conformity to Jesus.
  - Glory in our sufferings -> perseverance -> character -> hope (Romans 5:3).
- God uses ALL things!
God will provide just enough trouble to bring us to hope and conformity to Jesus
- We can expect ALL things from God, He is all in.
- God gives us ALL these things so that we will have ALL that we NEED.
- Who decides our needs?
  - Option 1: Someone else
    - our needs will be that of someone else’s
  - Option 2: Ourselves
    - Life will be formed around your likes and passions, confined to your understanding and imagination, limiting us from the things we can have.
    - “Sometimes we got what we wanted and didn’t want what we got.”
    - “Better not to have what you want than to have what you don’t want.”
    - Option 3: God
      - you end up with whatever He can make of you with all of his resources.
- God is best suited and most capable of deciding and fulfilling our needs.
Your faithfulness and obedience will abound in every good work.
- Your perseverance will reveal all the good that you are accomplishing
- If He has called you to serve, then He will provide all that you need to fulfill that calling.

Main Reflection & Response:

What are your needs and have they been met?
Where has God called you to serve Him (not just at church) and how has He provided?
- Reflect on the past and discern for the future
  - How has God provided in areas He called you before?
  - Where is He calling you now?

Additional Questions from the team:

Where can you see God’s generosity and extravagance in your life this week and give genuine thanks?
How can we perservere in God this week and how can we be the goodness in other people’s lives? (Through prayer, through support, through affirmation, etc)
Romans 5 speaks about the progression from Suffering > perseverance > character > hope
- In what area of your life are you journeying through this process?
Who decides your needs?
- Note: Ask this if you feel that the group has the maturity to navigate through this question unguided. This can lead to deeper spiritual discussion if the right group of people are together

Witness

Grad transition:
- Every year, some of our post-secondary students will graduate and be ready to transition into adult zone. As part of the transition, the intention is to have each cell pray and invite grads into their cells (as individuals, not as a group)
- Timeline:
  - June – Confirmed list of graduates
  - June – August: Adult Zone outreach period, pray over and invite graduates to cell and out of cell activities
  - September: Official transition
- When June comes, the graduate coordinator will have more details to help each cell support the graduates.
- Today: Start praying for our cells, are we ready to welcome grads into the cell? What do we need to do to prepare for the transition.
- Update: The cell schedule has been updated to include more outreach weeks in the summer to accommodate for this transition and summer schedules.
Bible Reading:
- This year, we will be going through a 2 year bible reading plan together. Access to plan at gcgcny.link/readbible. Use this to share regularly in your cell about what you’re hearing from God.
Easter – the Greatest Gift of Salvation
- The Good Friday event this year will be held on April 18th 3-5pm.
  - More details to come via Sunday announcements
Prayer and Outreach
- As discussed in our last meeting, we will be shifting outreach to be a zone wide initiative to encourage similar life stage members to partner together to witness to their friends, with cell being a place for them to join once they are ready to be a part of the community, as part of this shift:
  - New Outreach Chat to invite others along when you are looking to do something with friends
  - Establish prayer partners
    - Suggestion: Monthly same gender rotations to encourage biweekly checkins to strengthen relationships.
    - Note that the above is a suggestion and may not be the best approach based on the make up of your cell, pray and discern how best to approach this for the benefit of your cell